Monday, May 9, 2011

Max Allen and Will Studd's Cheese & Wine App

I'm a big fan of both Australian* wine writer Max Allen and cheese expert Will Studd so immediately downloaded their Cheese & Wine app on my iPad. It's a great idea from two people who really know their stuff and are great presenters but it doesn't quite come off.

The app is divided into four sections: Match Cheese which talks about cheese styles, Wine List (wine styles), some useful articles that have been published in Gourmet Traveller and some more videos. Or at least they seemed to be extra videos but one or two appear to be the same ones that you get directed to download through the previous sections.

The odd thing was that it took over 10 minutes to download the first one (though admittedly my broadband isn't the fastest) and only a couple of minutes to do it through the video section. Can't fathom that. The videos aren't that long either - a minute and a half, if that.

This has the feel of an app that's been rushed out to establish the pair's undoubted authority on the subject rather than creating something that would be really useful to the consumer. There's some great advice and some interesting suggestions for wine pairings I hadn't thought of such as cloth-bound cheddar with a mature sparkling red and Gorgonzola and red Lambrusco - just not quite enough of it.

No reason to complain when it only costs £1.19 but I hope subsequent versions will have more content.

*Actually he was born in England but you'd never know it from the accent!

No comments: